The live video and prepared testimony will be posted here when available.

The assistant secretary of state position is not ambassadorial rank and not a chief of mission position. The certificate of competency is a requirement under the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (see below). We do not know if there is a comparable document that is required for the top bureau positions at the State Department.

In accordance with Section 304 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, Certificates of Competency must be presented to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for presidential nominees to be Chief of Mission that demonstrate the competence of [a] nominee to perform the duties of the position in which he or she is to serve. Per Section 712 of the Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017, Certificates of Competency are posted to this site within seven days of transmittal to the Senate.